Rifled Slug test - Help needed

Ganderite

Ganderite

CGN Ultra frequent flyer
Rating - 99.7%
355   1   0
Location
Farm south of North Bay
I want to test regular rifled slugs in some different shotguns. All but one will be cylinder bore and all will be sighted with just a bead front sight.

There are 8 different guns. If I fire 3 shots in each (one box of 25 would do) would a three shot group be instructive? I will try two different kinds of slugs.

The purpose of the test is to see, in general how well slugs perform; how each gun performs and where each one hits. (Since the sights are not adjustable, I would want to hunt with a gun that shoots to point of aim.)

My range has target frames at 25 yards and at 50 yards. Which distance should I use? And what size 3-shot group can I expect?
I have only shot rifled slugs off the bench once before. Both guns grouped 2 shots at about 2”. I was shocked to see this. Was this a fluke, or can results be that good?
 
I would test at 50 yards if hunting is the goal. I think three shot groups would be informative as Ontario hunting regulations limit us to 3 rounds. I think you will find most slugs in boxes of 5, 10 or 15 (Winchester value pack). As far as accuracy I'm sure you will be suprised how well slugs do shoot when you find a brand that your gun likes. I would recommend that you build, or rig a bench that allows you to stand while supporting the shotgun on a solid rest. I find shooting slugs from a benchrest becomes unpleasant fairly quickly YMMV.
 
Good rifled shotgun barrel, good scope mounts, good scope, should produce 2" groups at 100 yd. cylinder bore barrels, that's a whole different monkey. I'd still be trying them out at 50yd vs the 25yd to start to give me an idea which shotgun had the best pattern.
 
your test will tell you which gun likes the brand of slugs you will use but will not necessarily tell you which gun is the most accurate.to do that you would have to fire several brands of slugs in each gun . eight guns times five different slugs and your test would get out of hand . the bead front sight will not give you any degree of consistency either as you have no reference point on the rear of the gun. you are using the shotgun like a rifle and to do a proper job it needs rifle sights or as applefarmer says a scope . let us know how it all turns out as it will be a fun and educational experiment .
 
Just remember never to use 3" slugs on deer less than 50yd away if you want meat. I found Remington 2 3/4" Slugger to be very accurate in most shotguns. For Distance, the 3" Federal work great.
 
50 yards would be best - three rounds is certainly going to give you a fair idea of accuracy and point of aim.
I have done this in the past with 870s and Model 12s with front beads only and chokes from cylinder to full choke.
With a consistent sight picture and good trigger control I have shot regular 4" groups at 75 yards, some guns will not shoot slugs but will let you know in a couple shots.

Shooting off a bench works great however I find that holding the forend fairly tight and keeping that hand between the front rest and the gun make a big difference to group size and POI - something to do with the relatively long time the slug is in the barrel and recoil I expect.

Dan
 
I was very surprised at the accuracy my old 18 1/2" maverick produced. Smoked an 8" steel plate at 50 yds repeatedly and that was free standing, only missed when i flinched! Love listening to those thing whistle through the air too! Have fun testing the ol' shoulder cannon lol.
 
If you are testing on guns that you are not familiar with, I would suggest using a laser bore sight to get a better sight picture since shotguns don't have rear sight. That will save you some ammo and pain.
 
You must log in or register to reply here.
Back
Top Bottom